An interesting observation today while out doing some cache maintenance before winter. When hubby was on oral chemo, we had some very cool larger pill containers. I used a number of them for caches. Painted the tops and camo taped the sides. They have been very reliable.

The OR Tract container had been in place since 3/14/2007. It is smaller (in comparison to some) and has never, to my knowledge, had food in it. I have checked it every year. Well, today I discovered some critter thought it might be nice to get into it. They had chewed the cover so there was just a rim and top in one place. There was nothing in the bottle to make them chew - wondering if someone had something on their fingers and the residue smelled appealing?

Here is a photo. http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/display/aef851ea-5afd-47fc-ba65-282dd55e2867.jpg Guess I am lucky it didn't get carried off. EMSDanel knows that can happen with Geocoins (as by a stroke of luck he recovered one near an animals den, which was near a cache location of his that kept being muggled by an animal).

I had another container in the car so I just replaced it. Much easier to do this fall than in the snow of winter.

Cache on - cache happy!

squirrelcache

10-22-2009, 04:48 PM

This has been a horrible year for finding items chewed on. Some critter crawled four feet into my pool vacuum hose.....and decided it was easier to chew a 2inch hole to exit. Another one chewed a hole right in the middle of my 9 yr. old cloth Grill cover.

hollora

10-22-2009, 05:34 PM

This has been a horrible year for finding items chewed on. Some critter crawled four feet into my pool vacuum hose.....and decided it was easier to chew a 2inch hole to exit. Another one chewed a hole right in the middle of my 9 yr. old cloth Grill cover.

Urghhh - I hope this isn't telling us something about what this winter will be................;) Maybe the critter was just hunting for a home.........;)

Hiram357

10-22-2009, 06:21 PM

Urghhh - I hope this isn't telling us something about what this winter will be................;) Maybe the critter was just hunting for a home.........;)

heh, personally I'm putting my kayak in the storage unit this winter so it doesn't become a nest... :D:D:D

hollora

10-22-2009, 07:02 PM

heh, personally I'm putting my kayak in the storage unit this winter so it doesn't become a nest... :D:D:D

Oh yeah - now, I know the track record and that makes sense. There is a great tool - called moth balls! EMSDanel went to that technique after I suggested it and cured his invaders!

masterson of the universe

10-22-2009, 09:14 PM

I was the last to find that one but it was the 14th. It hadn't been chewed on that day. Trying to remember, I think I had eaten a couple of peanut butter cups while in the car that very well could be my fault. Sorry...

hollora

10-22-2009, 09:23 PM

I was the last to find that one but it was the 14th. It hadn't been chewed on that day. Trying to remember, I think I had eaten a couple of peanut butter cups while in the car that very well could be my fault. Sorry...

Oh geesh, not a problem - but that might have been it. LOL :) I actually thought it was really funny!

Beware of Peanut Butter on thine fingers - as the sticky may attract a few nut collectors! ;););):)

Don't cha' worry - the new container will hold more coins LOL!

So now we have hand washing for H1N1 and also cache container scenting for nut collectors LOL!

squirrelcache

10-22-2009, 09:58 PM

Oh yeah - .... There is a great tool - called moth balls! .....
They make them in Lavender scented packets too!!! Great for indoor applications.

Ekidokai

10-22-2009, 11:59 PM

There was at least one out on th SMR that had been eaten. Half on the canister was missing. I blamed the mosquitoes.

Sudonim

10-23-2009, 09:00 AM

Oh yeah - now, I know the track record and that makes sense. There is a great tool - called moth balls! EMSDanel went to that technique after I suggested it and cured his invaders!

I started using moth balls after my summer car smelled like dead mice after I got it out of storage. (There were mouse nests on top of the engine too, good for fires.)

Waterski

10-23-2009, 09:07 AM

I think one issue with container damage has to do with the items that are placed in them. I took chewing gum out of one this week. Anything that smells like food, or is food, or candy, or smelly candles, is smelling like a great meal for some critter. It sure is easier for them than finding a way into your camper to get it. Tupperware to go they say. Try to lug it back to the nest. They probably take out the coins first because they are too heavy to lug. :-)

Waterski

10-23-2009, 09:39 AM

Sorry- I am sure the food issue is another one of those talk till you are blue in the face issues...but maybe some of our newer cachers haven't heard it yet:o:) Cache on!!

Ekidokai

10-23-2009, 10:18 AM

I'm constantly pulling candy and stuff like that out of caches.

Waterski

10-23-2009, 12:54 PM

Yes Ekidokai, It probably seems like a good idea to someone at the time, but for maintenance issues is a really bad idea.

Ekidokai

10-23-2009, 01:59 PM

If it was fresh candy or a sandwich that would be OK, but most of the time it is hard to eat.

firefighterjake

10-26-2009, 08:11 AM

I started using moth balls after my summer car smelled like dead mice after I got it out of storage. (There were mouse nests on top of the engine too, good for fires.)

HehHeh . . . I had one of those buggers build a mouse house in my wood splitter's engine . . . right in the pull starter . . . didn't realize it was there since when I first started up the engine it apparently kept things swirling around . . . it wasn't until I stopped the engine that the dry grass started settling down on the hot engine and smoke began drifting up. No fire fortunately . . . but then I almost made a very stupid mistake when I refired the engine and then the now-burning grass began shooting out of the pull starter area . . . sparks and embers were flying everywhere . . . again no fires fortunately.

squirrelcache

10-26-2009, 08:50 AM

Mice built a nest in my tractor motor's cooling system. Only discovered it when the engine wouldn't run anymore, they'd chewed through a wire. I pulled the motor and did a tear down for a Thorough cleaning. They had fiberglass insulation and grass jammed in places that air just couldn't dislodge. Got it all put back together and started her up. Two weeks later I discovered Another nest in there!! Sheesh....... time to put out traps yet again. I don't like to do that because it can attract them too. Can't blame them.........I'm drawn to the smell of p'nut butter too. ;)

firefighterjake

10-26-2009, 04:27 PM

Mice built a nest in my tractor motor's cooling system. Only discovered it when the engine wouldn't run anymore, they'd chewed through a wire. I pulled the motor and did a tear down for a Thorough cleaning. They had fiberglass insulation and grass jammed in places that air just couldn't dislodge. Got it all put back together and started her up. Two weeks later I discovered Another nest in there!! Sheesh....... time to put out traps yet again. I don't like to do that because it can attract them too. Can't blame them.........I'm drawn to the smell of p'nut butter too. ;)

I'm drawn to the smell of a hamburg and tomato pizza at UHOP . . . but I haven't built a nest there . . . yet. ;) :)

squirrelcache

11-05-2009, 03:29 PM

Had to laugh........found a cache today.....must be a bad year for mice.....found a mouse trap used for swag!!

TRF

11-05-2009, 03:40 PM

I live trap mice then bring them to either Eustis or Richmond. I think I'm going to start painting them different colors though because it seems I keep catching the same ones.

Ekidokai

11-05-2009, 04:10 PM

Oh that would be so cool. I started doing that with ground hogs because I was catching so much.